Grover Price sitting on the rock bollard belay. Top of pitch two.

All Locations > Colorado > CO Ice & Mixed > Ouray (Ice/Mixed) > Camp Bird Rd > Snow Blind Friend, Wa… (5.9+ 5c 17 VI 17 E1 5a WI4+ M6 Steep Snow X)

Grover Price sitting on the rock bollard belay. Top of pitch two.

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This is where we found those explosive holds we read about. The rock practically crumbles when you touch it. We had to dig in the rock to get something relatively solid to hold on. Protection is hard to come around, but there's a bolt in the little roof where the blue rope is protected and there's another one on climber's left.

Belaying from top of pitch 7 looking down, Santiago Jaime and Eduardo Ibañez climbing to the anchor. There was plenty of snow, in fact at the start of the seventh pitch we had chest-deep snow.

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Eric Wright

Nov 4, 2013

“Grover Price sitting on the rock bollard belay. Top of pitch two.”

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Nearby Photos

Garrett on first step of first pitch, D5.<br>
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This is the alternative left hand dry start.

Garrett leading pitch 6. The crux of the upper half of the climb.

Garrett starting crux of route. Second step of first pitch.

Conditions last Sunday. Nice white line top to bottom.

Crux of second pitch.<br>
<br>
Photo by Garrett R.

Grover Price, pitch 3.<br>
Nov. 3, 2013.

Close up of 1st 2nd and 3rd pitch.<br>
<br>
Photo by Mike Walley.

Chad Umbel pitch 7.

Frank Robertson topping out Attractive Hazard.

Crux of pitch six. Looks pretty easy now. So much ice! Nov. 3, 2013. 7:30 pm.<br>

Upper left gully is AH. The gully to the right is the Ribbon. Photo taken Oct. 6th. More ice than anytime last winter between mid-January and mid-April.

Late Oct. <br>
Ice rock and snow top to bottom. Perfect conditions.

Keith Phelps starting pitch 5.

Start of second step of first pitch. This is the crux, and it's kind of snicy. The crack eats pro.

Early Nov. 2013.

Another 3 bolt anchor with several meters of heavy-duty chain. This is 1-2 pitches below the top (depending on how you break it up).

Eric leading pitch 5.<br>
<br>
I am passing what is left of Eric Wellborn's anchor. Larks footed twig, pecker (not the spectre hook as advertised) and a pretty good baby angle that I will clip shortly.<br>
<br>
This belay/rap was/is in the killing zone.

Looking down from top of first pitch.

Garrett starting pitch 3.

Top of pitch 4.

Eric Wright second pitch.

Eric Wright starting 2nd pitch.

Looking up start of of second pitch.

Garrett following pitch 5. <br>
Finally the snice is firming up and becoming ice. <br>
Nov. 3, 2013.

Eric Wellborn's boot and Noah McKelvin belaying pitch 5.

Wet start of first pitch. Dry start is 10 feet to the left.<br>
<br>
Frank Robertson gearing up.

Garrett belaying at the top of pitch 6.<br>

Eric Wright starting pitch 5. Nov. 2013.

Top of pitch 6. Garrett warm, happy, and getting close to the top.<br>

While surfing UK Climbing, found this article about fixed anchors. The Brits at the BMC have done studies on pin anchors. They are starting to frown on old pin anchors as they are finding them too unpredictable. In this article they are in part responding to requests by groups and individuals for free new pegs to be donated by the BMC. The BMC is apparently going to respond with. "We won't supply free pegs as they make unpredictable long term anchors".

Half way through pitch 7. One more pitch to go and we will be on top of the buttress.

Noah McKelvin on 2nd pitch, photo by Eric Wellborn.

Eduardo Ibañez starting the second pitch of Attractive Hazard, we encountered no ice whatsoever on the whole route. January 25, 2013.

Entire first pitch, with wet start. Our fixed rope after our December attempt, 2011.

Eduardo Ibañez leading the fifth pitch. We found a bolt on the right side, but the climbing on the right is awfully harder that that on the left. Nevertheless the rock on the left side is way more rotten. 01/25/2013.

In early October.

This is where we found those explosive holds we read about. The rock practically crumbles when you touch it. We had to dig in the rock to get something relatively solid to hold on. Protection is hard to come around, but there's a bolt in the little roof where the blue rope is protected and there's another one on climber's left.

Grover Price sitting on the rock bollard belay. Top of pitch two.

Belaying from top of pitch 7 looking down, Santiago Jaime and Eduardo Ibañez climbing to the anchor. There was plenty of snow, in fact at the start of the seventh pitch we had chest-deep snow.

Wet start pitch 1.<br>
In the spring, this is completely covered in snow.<br>
November 3rd, 2013.

There was a lot of snow accumulation at the top and climbing right to the belay tree was impossible to protect. Had to climb further to the right and then downclimb to the rap tree.

Top of pitch five.<br>
Nov. 3, 2013.<br>
Next three pitches have ice!

5 guidebooks with no mention of route.<br>
Charlie Fowlers 1991, Cameron Burns 1997, Jack Roberts first edition 1998, Damon Johnston 2009, Jack Roberts second edition 2005.

The "ice" is usually too poor or non-existent to take screws. The rock pro is pretty good, just awkward to reach.

Frank getting the tree for initial P1 anchor.

Garrett starting pitch 3.<br>
<br>
Grove Price photo.

Route running with water in summer.<br>

One of the bolted anchors on top of pitch two. Just behind the trees is a nice (for the San Juans) 2" crack.

Top of first step in first pitch.

Angle of dangle, from John Long's book <em>How To Climb.</em><br>
Long, shiny chains are easier to find under snow. As this is gully is subject to avalanches of spindrift if not worse, we thought the anchors would keep getting buried and would remain so if the route remained ignored as we were sure it would be.<br>
Remember, when we started this project in 2011, this section of wall was being ignored. We just wanted climbers to leave the sunny side and join us on the DARK side. 30 years with no new routes seemed long enough.<br>
We were afraid that climbers would ignore this route if stories circulated that the anchors were weak and impossible to find. Plus we did not want to install time bombs. <br>
We have recently been abused by a well know SA guide who whined that he could not find the anchors on his failed attempt winter of '12/'13. Yet in next breath he complained he did not like the long, shiny chains that are easier to troll for when buried under snow. <br>
But at this point, we plan on trimming chain, length and changing color. As for intermediate bolts, most are buried under snow. Good luck finding them. This year, unlike last year, the route is very wet, so we have a better feel for what bolts work and which we can "live" without.<br>
May the force be with on the dark side.

Frank Robertson on approach, with Attractive Hazard the long slender line that runs top to bottom of the photo.<br>
The iconic Ribbon is to the right.

Here is a screen shot from Eric Wright's iPhone of a text sent by Jon Miller, of Jagged Edge in Telluride. Jon gave me permission to share the private text with you. He had just returned from a meeting with Jeff Lowe and friends.

Early May after melt thaw cycle:<br>
<br>
Top of third pitch has snice. Fourth pitch has snice. Start of 5th pitch is dry. The upper crux, which is on 6th pitch has snice. Pitches 6, 7, and 8 have snice.<br>
<br>
Several anchors are proably buried, as well as the first step in first pitch.

The crew from left to right: Santiago Ibañez, myself. and Eduardo Ibañez, after 8 hours climbing and 2 hours descending, back at the base of the climb. Great route!

Simul-rapping the first step of the first pitch. There is a horn to lay the rope into.

<em>Colorado Ice Climbers' Guide</em> by Cameron M. Burns, 1997.<br>
The obvious line of this route plainly visible in this photo. Little to no traffic from Jeff Lowe's ascent until we popularize route by adding some gear. <br>
1978 until 2011, no mention in five guidebooks, countless editions of climbing rags. By my estimation, 300-450 editions of up to 4 climbing rags both here and in Europe. <em>American Alpine Journal</em>. Social media since 2009. Mt. Project, Summit Post, Facebook, Twitter, or personal blogs.

First step in first pitch as well as approach gully and cliff band below route, completely buried in snow. Early April.

Treasure found on way down from cleaning last bolt: prototype Snarg, may well have been left on Ribbon by Jeff.

Don Carlos et sus comentarios.

Erik and Noah discussing their failure to get past the crux of pitch six, which that year was a thin, nasty, free hanging pillar.<br>
<br>

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